EXETER — A Hampton woman who was found dead this week inside a burning building was a former salon worker and longtime Exeter Hospital employee.

By JIM HADDADIN

EXETER — A Hampton woman who was found dead this week inside a burning building was a former salon worker and longtime Exeter Hospital employee.

An Exeter Hospital spokesman confirmed Saturday that murder victim Amanda "Amy" Warf was employed by the hospital. The 36-year-old's body was found inside an abandoned concrete plant in Exeter on Thursday, March 7. Her remains were located by firefighters after the building caught fire shortly before 7 a.m.

The state's chief medical examiner, Dr. Thomas A. Andrew, ruled the death a homicide following an autopsy Friday morning. Police are not releasing Warf's cause of death, pending further investigation.

Warf's colleagues were "saddened and shocked" by the news of her death, according to a statement released by the hospital Saturday.

"Amanda was a dedicated and energetic professional who proudly served as an employee of Exeter Hospital for many years," the statement reads. "Amanda will be greatly missed by all those who knew and worked with her. Our heartfelt condolences continue to be with her family during this difficult time."

The building that caught fire has been abandoned for at least two decades, according to the town's assessor. The facility is located at 2 Hampton Road. The 11.8-acre property shares a border with one of Exeter Hospital's administrative buildings at 7 Holland Way.

Warf was described as a “very caring and loving person” by one of her former co-workers at Hair Excitement, a salon at the Fox Run Mall in Newington. The woman, who asked not to be identified, said Warf was the mother of a young son.

“She's just an awesome person, and we'll all miss her,” the woman said.

Tannah Curtis, another Hair Excitement employee, said Warf worked at the salon for several years until leaving the position in 2011 or 2012.

“She was just amazing," Curtis said. "She was warm-hearted, caring, non-judgmental. She was just a good person."

Curtis confirmed that Warf was the mother of a young boy.

"She just had the world in her hands and it was taken away by somebody," she said.

Exeter police, the state fire marshal's office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are now participating in the homicide investigation into Warf's death, along with state police and the attorney general's office.

Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to contact New Hampshire State Police at 603-271-3636.